www.irishheart.ie

LOSE WEIGHTand reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke

1

Many people who

are overweight for a

long time develop

high blood pressure

or diabetes.

Weight loss, heartdisease and stroke

Being overweight means that

your heart has to work harder

to pump blood around your

body. This extra pressure can

cause wear and tear on your

heart and blood-vessel

system.

2

Many people who are

overweight for a long time

develop high blood pressure

or diabetes, which are both

risk factors for heart disease

and stroke.

In the last 10 years there has been an increase in the

number of people who are overweight or very

overweight (obese). Being overweight and obese

damages our hearts, blood vessels and our joints, and

is mainly the result of too many calories in our diet

and too little activity.

If you are overweight or obese, you should check with

your family doctor if you have other risk factors such

as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and

smoking. Even losing a small amount of weight will

improve your overall health and help reduce your risk

of heart disease and stroke.

You can get more information about other risk factors

– see the back page for contact details.

If you are overweight, start now and use the tips in

this leaflet to change your eating habits and get more

physically active. Making small changes now will stop

you from gaining extra weight over the next few

years.

3

Do you need to lose weight?• Is your weight creeping up each year?

• Do you have less energy than you used to?

• Do you get breathless running for a bus?

Your answer is likely to be ‘Yes’, as more than half

of Irish adults are overweight or very overweight

(obese).

By losing some of your extra weight you will:

• feel better

• look better

• lower your chances of heart disease, stroke,

diabetes and high blood pressure and

• help to reduce or even stop your medication for

angina, high blood pressure or raised cholesterol.

You may, of course, have your own reasons for

wanting to lose weight.

If you have already had a heart attack, bypass surgery

or an angioplasty, it’s important that you follow the

tips in this leaflet to lose weight. You should especially

try to:

• choose oily fish (for example, sardines, salmon,

mackerel or trout) twice a week;

• choose at least five or more portions of fruit and

vegetables every day.

Making small changes nowwill stop youfrom gainingextra weightover the nextfew years.

4

Are you always on a diet?Forget about dieting. Instead, follow a weight loss

plan for life. Make small gradual changes to the food

you eat and get more active. Even losing a small

amount of weight has health benefits. Start with

changes that are easy to make and that you can keep

up for life – this will help you to reach a healthier

weight and then to stay at this weight.

Being a healthy weight isn’t about being as thin as

a model, in fact it is quite the opposite. Find the right

weight for you by making sure it is within a healthy

BMI range, eating healthily, regularly taking brisk

walks and being generally active.

Even losing

a small amount

of weight has

health benefits.

5

Are you an apple or pear shape?If you are overweight, it is where your body stores the

extra fat that is the problem. If the extra fat is stored

around your waist, this gives you an apple shape. This

shape is linked with a higher risk of heart disease,

stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and some

cancers. If extra fat is stored around your hips this

gives you a pear shape and this shape is less harmful

to your health.

Use a measuring tape to measure your waist and then

check the table on the next page to assess your risk of

heart disease and stroke.

No one weight is

ideal, as there is a

range of healthy

weights for a

particular height.

6

Waist measurement table

Women Men

Healthy waist Less than 80 Less than 94

measurement centimetres centimetres

(32 inches) (37 inches)

Moderate risk Between 80 and Between 94

88 centimetres and 102

(32 and 35 inches) centimetres

(37 and 40 inches)

High risk More than 88 More than 102

centimetres centimetres

(35 inches) (40 inches)

Check your body mass index.

Your body mass index (BMI) is an easy check to find

out your weight range.

Draw a line across from your height and up from your

weight. Where these two lines cross is your body mass

index. No one weight is ideal, as there is a range of

healthy weights for a particular height.

7

If you are in the ‘overweight band’ range, start to

follow the tips in this leaflet. If you are in the ‘obese’ or

‘very obese band’ range, get help and advice from

your family doctor or a dietitian. There is no quick way

to lose weight. A steady loss of one kilogram (one to

two pounds) a week is the safest and most effective

way to lose weight and keep it off.

Are you ready to lose weight?There are two important things you need to do to

lose weight successfully:

1. Get motivated to lose those extra pounds. Keeping

a diary of the food you eat and the activities you do

will help get you focused and keep you motivated.

2. Plan and be prepared. Planning ahead helps you

feel more in control of your weight loss. Have plenty

of healthy foods in your fridge, lots of fresh fruit and

vegetables, low-fat snack foods like low-fat yoghurt

and a light oil spray for cooking. Have your tracksuit

and trainers ready for your walking or activity

programme. This will make it easier for

you to start your new eating and

activity plan.

8

MotivationMotivation is most important when it comes to

achieving a healthy weight. Motivation gets you

started and keeps you going.

• Start by making a list of the reasons why you want

to lose weight. Keep this list and look at it when

your willpower is low.

• Next, keep a food and activity diary. Just write down

what you eat for three days and when you do any

exercise or physical activity. This will help you focus

on what you’re eating and what you need to

change. People who keep food and activity diaries

are more successful at losing weight than those

who don’t.

• Set realistic goals that you can reach over time - one

kilogram (one to two pounds) per week. This way,

you will be more likely to reach your target weight

and stay there.

• Put your favourite photo of yourself on your fridge.

This will make you think before you open the door –

‘Do I really need this food?’

• Lose weight with a friend or with a recognised

weight loss group – you are more likely to succeed.

• Relax. Try to manage your stress by taking time out

to do some activity, something you enjoy. You are

likely to eat and drink more when you are under

stress.

• Picture yourself in your mind with some realisitic

weight-loss. Think about this image a few times a

day. Seeing a mental picture of yourself with

weight-loss can make you more confident that you

can achieve your goal.

Drink water regularly -at least 8 cups a day

9

Use the Food Pyramid to plan your

healthy food choices every day and

watch your portion size

FOLIC ACID - An essential ingredient in making a baby.

You can get folic acid from green leafy vegetables but if

there is any possibility that you could become pregnant

then you should be taking a folic acid tablet (400

micrograms per day).

10

11

Successful tips for losing weight

• Look carefully at the size of your food portions,

especially when you are eating out.

• Follow the Food Pyramid guidelines. Focus on what

you can eat rather than on what you can’t. Be strict

and limit your food choices from the top shelf. For

lunch and dinner, use a smaller dinner plate and fill

it mostly with vegetables.

• Have three regular meals each day. Research shows

that people who eat breakfast regularly are more

likely to keep their weight down.

• Some people find that having two smaller courses

rather than one large main meal makes them feel

more satisfied. Try choosing fruit, vegetables or

salad as a starter, or fruit to finish off your meal.

• Learn to recognise hunger. If you are not really

hungry at meal times, just eat small portions.

• Each week, write out a shopping list of the healthy

foods you need to help you lose weight. Bring this

list with you every week when you’re doing your

family shopping. Try not to shop when you are

hungry.

Choose healthy low-fat ways of cooking

• Oven-bake, grill, boil, poach, stir-fry, steam or

microwave food instead of frying it.

• Boil, steam, dry-roast or bake potatoes instead of

having chips.

• Try a light cooking spray instead of cooking oil.

• Cut all visible fat off meat and take the skin off

chicken.

• Drain fat off meat and sauces when they are

cooked.

• Choose tomato-based sauces instead of creamy

sauces for pasta and rice dishes.

Emergency supplies

• Have low-fat ready meals in the freezer – home-

made or bought.

• Have a good supply of raw vegetables and plenty of

fruit.

• Home-made soup is a great comfort food, especially

on cold days. Freeze it in microwave-proof cartons

so they are easy to thaw out and reheat as needed.

• Get into the habit of carrying a bottle of water. It is

important to drink at least eight cups of fluid each

day. Water can also help you feel full up between

meals.12

13

AlcoholIf you are serious about losing weight, you will be

more successful if you cut out alcohol altogether until

you reach your target weight. Alcohol is high in

calories, can make you more hungry and can weaken

your good intentions.

• Choose water or diet drinks every second drink. If

you really need to have an alcoholic drink, try white

wine spritzers or light beer instead of other drinks,

and drink more slowly.

• Do not drink more than the recommended upper

limits: 17 standard drinks (SD) a week for men and

11 standard drinks a week for women, spread out

over the week with some alcohol-free days.

One standard drink is 10g of alcohol

= one half pint of beer, stout or lager

= one small glass of wine

= one pub measure of spirits (whiskey, vodka

or gin).

Support and reward

• Get support from your family and friends. They can

help keep you motivated, become more active with

you and help you limit the high-fat snack foods you

eat.

14

• Reward yourself when you make positive progress.

To check your progress, use a measuring tape or

weighing scales (remember that scales vary and if

you’re retaining fluid for any reason they may not

give you a true picture of your progress), or

consider how your clothes fit. Weigh yourself once a

week at the same time in similar clothes. Choose a

non-food treat for your reward – a magazine, a DVD,

a CD, a film, a football match, a new haircut or even

a top or shirt when you have lost some weight.

Be active to lose weightRegular physical activity is as important as what you

eat for losing weight and keeping your heart healthy.

Being active helps burn calories, tone your muscles

and control your appetite.

To lose weight, you need to use up more

energy (calories) than your body takes in

from food and drink. The best way to lose

weight is through a combination of:

• Eating and drinking fewer calories, and using

up more calories by being more active.

• You should gradually build up to 60 to 75

minutes of physical activity on 5 days a week.

• Your activity should be aerobic, which means

getting the whole body moving - walking,

cycling and swimming are excellent examples.

• Your activity should be at a moderate intensity,

which

- causes your heart to beat faster,

- means you are slightly out of breath but still

able to talk, and

- brings a little sweat to your brow.

On any day, the amount of activity can be spread over

2 to 3 shorter sessions, for example 45 minutes

walking and 15 minutes swimming or the total of 300

or more minutes can be spread over the whole week.

15

Walking is an excellent way to lose weight, especially

if you have not been active for a while. You should

aim to walk 3 to 5 kilometres (1Km = mile) at a

moderate pace on most days of the week. A three-

kilometre walk should take 30 to 40 minutes to

complete. Gradually increase the pace and duration

and add in other activities such as swimming, cycling,

dancing or football.

Vigorous intensity, such as jogging; running,

swimming laps or cycling at more than 10 mph can

also be effective in losing weight, provided you are fit

and healthy enough. The advantage is that you need

take only half the time to achieve the same results as

moderate intensity. You can of course combine

minutes of vigorous activity with minutes of

moderate activity e.g. 30 minutes run or jog

(vigorous) and 15 to 20 minutes gardening or brisk

walking (moderate).

The amount of time and type of activity will work

differently for each person in losing weight. As you

get more active and fitter by increasing time or

intensity, or both, you should achieve steady weight-

loss and enjoy other health benefits such as increased

energy or better sleep .

General guidelines

• Choose an activity, sport or exercise routine that

you enjoy and find a friend or family member to

join you.

• If you have not been active, build more activity into

your daily life, take the stairs, walk to the shop, walk

the dog or do some gardening. This way, being

more active will become a lifetime habit.

• If you are not sure about your fitness level or

general health, or have a specific health

problem, it is important to contact your

family doctor before you start exercising.

23/

16

Daily menu plan

Regular meals stop you feeling hungry and ensure

that you have a daily supply of essential nutrients.

Try out the meal suggestions below.

Breakfast

• One bowl of wholegrain cereal with

chopped fruit and low-fat milk

• One slice of wholemeal bread or toast

Mid morning

• Fruit or raw vegetables

Lunch

• Plenty of cooked or raw vegetables

• 25 to 50 grams (one to two ounces)

of lean meat, poultry, fish (preferably

oily fish, such as sardines or salmon),

eggs or low-fat cheese

• Two slices of wholemeal bread or a roll

• Low-fat yogurt or a glass of low-fat milk

• Fresh fruit

Mid afternoon

• Fresh fruit or raw vegetables

Main meal

• 75 to 100 grams (three to four ounces) of lean meat,

poultry, fish (preferably oily), eggs, low-fat cheese or

nine dessertspoons of peas or beans

• Plenty of vegetables

• One medium baked or boiled potato, or three

dessertspoons of cooked pasta or rice

• Low-fat yogurt or a glass of low-fat milk

• Fresh, cooked or tinned fruit (in its own juice)

Supper

• Fresh fruit

Have about 8 to 10 glasses (1.5 litres) of fluids a day,

preferably water.

If you feel hungry between meals, try drinking a

glass of water first. If you are still hungry, choose

fresh fruit or raw vegetables to snack on.

17

Please make a donation today

The Irish Heart Foundation is Ireland’s only charity

dedicated to the reduction of death and disability from

heart disease and stroke. Over 90% of our funding comes

from public and business donations. We depend on your

goodwill and generosity to continue our work.

If you found this booklet useful, please help

our charity to continue to provide heart and

stroke information by donating today.

You can make your donation today:

By post: Irish Heart Foundation

c/o 4 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

Online: www.irishheart.ie

By phone: 01 6685001

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Irish Heart Foundation,

c/o 4 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

Phone: +353 1 668 5001

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Email: info@irishheart.ie

Heart and Stroke Helpline:

1890 432 787

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Funding:

The Irish Heart Foundation is the national charity

fighting heart disease and stroke and relies on

charitable donations for 90 per cent of its funding.

We support, educate and train people to save lives,

campaign for patients, promote positive health

strategies, support research and provide vital public

information. We need your support - through

donations, as a volunteer or on our training courses.

This booklet is part-funded by the Irish

Heart Foundation and part-funded by

the Health Service Executive.

The information provided by the Irish Heart Foundation in this booklet was correct and accurate at the time of publication to the best of the charity’s knowledge.

Registered Charity Number CHY 5507

HPUT00372

Published by the Irish Heart

Foundation in 2011. For more

information, contact the Irish

Heart Foundation or your

local HSE office: